Just Breathe

What is this project about?

This project is made possible in part with financial support from the European Union, with an awarded subsidy within the OPZuid 2021-2027 program.    

Innovative inhalation therapy can provide a solution within current respiratory care pathways. Smart technologies can enable targeted and more efficient drug delivery into the lungs by integrating them in an easy-to-use inhaler device. With such an innovative device many therapies, which currently are being administered in the hospital, can potentially be shifted to the home care setting. This applies, for example, to the administration of certain treatments in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. A smart inhaler device may also provide healthcare providers the ability to monitor therapy adherence, which may contribute to reducing the pressure on the healthcare systems.   

In the “Just Breathe” project, Unitron Systems and Gilbert Innovation are working together to design and develop a novel smart precision inhaler device into a single system (TRL 7) that can be used for treatments of various lung diseases. The patented electrospray technology of Gilbert is integrated in the device to facilitate atomisation of drug formulations to enable effective drug delivery to the appropriate regions of the lungs. The addition of smart software can enable monitoring of therapy adherence, which may reduce the number of visits to a physician. As a result, this development is expected to have positive impact for patients, but also for healthcare providers and the healthcare system as well.

When the system is ready for CE marking a first drug-device combination will be developed for drug delivery in cystic fibrosis, including replaceable drug reservoirs for the patient’s individual medication. The consortium aims for a circular design of the smart precision inhaler device with attention to minimize the healthcare industry’s carbon footprint.   

Gilbert’s expertise in electrospray technology and pulmonary drug formulations is indispensable for this project. They have been valorising and developing their electrospray technology for the past several years. Within this project, they will develop the technology towards an advanced multi-nozzle sprayhead and will develop the specific formulations for the device. The collaboration with Unitron is essential for the design and development of the smart precision inhaler. In addition to their experience in manufacturing medical products and their name recognition in the industry, they are contributing to the development of the prototype in this project.   

Both partners are located in the southern region of the Netherlands, where this project contributes to strengthening the regional economy and knowledge infrastructure. This not only strengthens the leading position of the applicants, but also that of the region in the field of promising and impactful medical innovations.